Comparative Review of the Regional Marine Mammal Mitigation Guidelines Implemented During Industrial Seismic Surveys, and Guidance Towards a Worldwide Standard

Marine mammals rely on sound for all of the fundamental biological and ecological aspects of their lives including navigation, prey location and capture, predator avoidance, and communication (including during migration and reproduction). There is increasing concern regarding the potential effects of the airgun sound produced during geophysical seismic surveys on marine mammals. Airgun arrays typically produce high amplitude sound with source levels in the region of 220–248 dB re. 1 μPa @ 1 m. The acoustic output has highest energy at relatively low frequencies of 10–200 Hz, which overlaps extensively with the low frequency sound produced by baleen whales in the 12–500 Hz bandwidth. Airgun arrays may alsoproduce significant high